JessieLinHuiLi: Padas White Water Rafting

The biggest highlight of the trip : Padas White Water Rafting where 15 of us dug out our gut for this daring thrill. All girls and only one guy out of the 15! Steady? Woots! Rock the raft! I love my coursemates! They are all independent and courageous girls, where new era girls should be. <3

So early in the morning 6.30am, the agent came pick us up at our cabin and we travelled all the way from Kota Kinabalu to Padas, which took about 3 hours journey. Train is the only transport to get ourselves to the ultimate destination. So we boarded the diesel train at beaufort station. The train is not the typical modern train, can hardly believe that there is such an old conventional train functioning in Malaysia, thought KTM is the lousiest. LOL. But the train boarding was rather interesting as it crossed the rural outskirts of the town areas with the view of tropical forests, rubber estates and villages along the river. The train stopped intermittently throughout the route, I guess it is so to get the engine fired up again for its next few miles. It is a pleasure experience beyond the developing generation.

Wooden doors at the end of the coaches, connecting one coach to the other. The doors were opened all the time and people can cross over to the next coach even if the train was moving !! But few dare to do so. LOL.

Wooden platform in the bush where the train stopped for passengers.

Scenic view along the gorge of Padas River, the river where we rafted vigorously.

My rafting team and the beloved handsome instructors, photo taken at the endpoint of rafting, Rayoh :)

So, after light refreshment and briefing, we started our nerve tingling rafting! The rapids is classified as Grade IV, the toughest grade of the rafting available. O.o The only advice from the guide – Amin was : DON’T PADDLE LIKE CHICKEN, OR ELSE YOU BYE BYE!!

Pictures will tell you how Grade IV paddling looks like. >.< Shooting rapids include Headhunter cyclone, Cobra Rock, Roller Coaster, Jacuzzi Pool, Washing Machine and so on. The names describe the rapids that we crossed over at different distance apart.

Let’s start with pretty pictures first XD

Roll roll rolling bot…. ….. …..

And we sang “海浪滔滔我不怕”(Translate : I don’t afraid of the surging waves)…=D

Are you sure???

Check out the rough waves! Part of he boat didn’t even touch the water, the paddle couldn’t even reach the water! This is called exhilaration! =)

Different stunts on show. (The photos are following order, as exactly like the actual movement)

Stunt 1:

Keep splashed by water like slapping by the waves without any mercy.

Stunt 2:

Stunt 3:

You can hardly see the raft anymore.

Stunt 4:

Somehow, like a tsunami! LOL. And we screamed like hell but to no avail.

So what? We still survived the hits. Bravo! Hah!

Some difficult stunt was not captured. Flying Fish stunt, where all of us were required to crawled to one end of the boat, making the weight fell at the back side of the boat and the boat was then push forward along the downstream. The raft could have overturned at anytime if the balance was not well managed. A breathtaking stunt that get the thrill pushed to the max!! One word: FUN !!!

Don’t think that’s easy. Look at our poor friends’ raft here: